Container and method of making same



March 29, 1932. L. WETHERELL CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME .Filed June 19, 1930 I 71 2/672 to ml '6 the?" Z A it s.

Patented Mar. 29, 1932' UNITED! STATES PATENT OFFICE,

LESLIEWETHERELL, or ATTLEBQRO, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR To THE MASON BOX COMPANY, or ATTLEBORO,.MASSAOHUSETTS, a CORPORATION or MASSACHUSETTS CONTAINER AND METHOD OF KAKING SAME Application filed June 19,

This invention relates to containers. for articles of jewelry or the like, and pertalns more particularly to improvements in thetions, thereby substantially reducing the cost.

of manufacture; and to produce an article, so formed, which may be made in a variety of desirable sizes and shapes-and which is at tractive in appearance without sacrifice of operative efiiciency. i I

My invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings which show a .recommended construction of the improved'container and several stages in themethod of its manufacture; but it will be understood that the precise details of the method or article herein described may be varied to suit particular purposes withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention as defined in the ap pended claims.-

In the drawings, Y

Fig.1 is a perspective view of an opened box made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectiononline 22 of Fig. 1; a

Fig. 3 is a plan view, to large scale and partly broken away, of three superposed sheets of flexible material used in producing one of the box members of Fig. .1, andfconstituting the body thereof; 1

Fig 4 is a plan view of a frame member employed in the production of the box;

Fig. 5 is a section through the sheets of Fig. 3 indicating ,in diagrammatic manner, the operationof, forming dies thereon;

Fig. 6 is a view similar "to Fig. 5 showing the manner of inserting of the frame. member within the partially fojrmed'sheets, in a subsequent stage of theliniproved process; and I Fig. 7 is a similar View of another stage in the process, immediately prior to the last operation of the forming dies.

In the particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration, theimproved box or-container-comprises a 1930. Serial No. 462,374.

pair of shallow sections or members, indicated generallyjat 10 and 11 in Fig. l, of substantially identical construction, pivotally interconnected by hinge members 12 and 13 attached to the respective sections, and

preferably having a cooperating spring member 14 ofcommon form'which engages the hinge parts and tends to hold the sections eitherin closed or open position. The bottom section 10 may have an interior pad 15 of plush or other material suitablefor the display of an article of jewelry mounted thereon, but it will be evident that a box made in accordance with this invention may be employed for a variety of useful purposes and that its size, shape or appointments for the desired use are not essential to the invention.

of the box. members 10 or 11- of Fig. 1 comprise a frame member of relatively stifl" material such as'the fiat metalring'16 (Fig. 4) which assists in shaping and reinforcing the. sides of the section; and a bodyof flexible sheet material preferably consisting of one or more backing or reinforcing sheets, here 1 shown as the inner sheets 17 and 18 of sized textile fabric, and an outer unsized covering 19 of plush, silk or other material appropriate for the exterior of the container. The back portion of the metal frame 16 preferably has struck out tongues 20 which extend through openings 21 in the'hinge member 12 and are anchored therein, as by folding over I the tongue ends. to secure the hinge to the boxsection: and the free ends of the frame mav beheld together in any suitable manner.

7 As the frame is not solely relied upon to produce the ultimate shape of the box, but serves principally as a guide or stiffener upon which the margins-of the fabric body member are folded. the ring 16 need not be rigidecircumferentiallv. and its ends need not be securely united. For example, when the ends-22 overlap each other. as shown in Fig. 4. a paper sleeve 23 mav be ,emploved to hold them in proper relation during the formation of the box member. 7

The principal feature of my improved process resides in the employment. of sized The materials employed in making either.

fabric for the backing sheets 17 and 18 of the box body, softening the backing by moisture or heat or both, to render it sticky, fold ing the margins of the backing sheets and of the covering 19 upon which they are superposed over the metal frame while the sizing is still tacky, and pressing the folded margins into place so that they will maintain their set upon hardening of the. sizing. For this purpose, the backing sheets 17 and 118 preferably consist of sizedcotton cloth, either single or multiple, and the sizing ingredient may be waterproof or not, as desired. The sized cloth is flexible, yet self-sustaining and without limpness. and in carrying out my process the backings are preferably moistened to make them more pliable and also to liberate the adhesive quality of the sizing, so that the backings may be suitably molded over the metal ring 16 and will adhere together and to the outer covering 19 when dried. If the sizing is waterproof, the application of heat will ordinarily be necessary to softenthe backing; whereas. in case of glue-sizing, moistening alone will suflice for this purpose. 7

The reinforcing backing and covering con-v stituting the box body are of such size and shape as to extend across an open end of the ring 16 with their margins folded upwardly upon the sides of theframe to the opposite edge of the ring, and preferably over said edge and inwardly upon its inner face. When two backing sheets are employed,as herein illustrated, the inner one may be smaller than the other so that its periphery terminates approximately at the upper edge of the ring, as indicated at 24 (Fig. 2); while the margins of sheet 18 preferably fold over the edge of the frame and inwardly so that its periphery meets the body of the sheet at 25- It will be apparent, however, that the size of the backing may vary within Wide limits and that one or more such sheets may be used according to the desired thickness and stiffness of the box body.

The softened backing andouter covering may be applied to the metal frame by hand operation or by suitable machines. As best results are attained by mechanicaljapplication and assemblage of these parts, I have indicated," somewhat diagrammatically, a type of apparatus whichis suitable for the purpose, without intending to restrict my process to the utilization of any particular mechanism which is commonly used for analogous purposes.

,perposed in proper order and placed upon an anvil 26 having an opening 27 defining the outline of the'box section (Fig. 5). A die or plunger 28 ofsimilar outllne then moves face 30 of less area than that of the first plunger and having an annular shoulder 31 is brought downwardly to press and fold the inturned margins over the frame edge against the inner side of the ring and to compress the sheets of the body into adhesive union in their ultimate shape for drying.

These operations of the forming dies not only compress the superposed sheets, thereby causing the softened sizing to coat and pene- 'trate the fibers 'ofeach sheet, and fold the margins thereof over the outer sides and upper edge of the frame, but also tend to stretch the material across the lower end of the metal ring so that, upon hardening of the sizing in'the' backing sheets, the sheet body is drawn taut over the bottom of the frame as well as adhesively united and stifiened by the dried sizing. The tautness of the backing sheets is accentuated by contraction of the sized fabric fibers which are stretched While moist and hence tend to shrink during drying; and this phenomenon is especially apparent when a water soluble sizing is employed in a soft and long-fibered fabric.

If the ring 16 is provided with the struck out tongues 20, the reduced end 30 of plunger 29 may have longitudinal grooves (not shown) in its periphery to receive the respective tongues so that they pierce the overlapped margins of the body. The hinge parts may then be applied to the completed box sections as shown in Fig. 2; an inner collar 32may be applied between the display pad 15 and the wall of the box section 10; and the hinge parts may be covered by a fabric strip 33. l

It is thus apparent that my improved method of forming a box section counts essentially in providing a frame defining the shape of the box, softening a backing sheet of sized fabric by moisture or heat or both, and folding the margins of the backing sheet over the frame andsuperposing an outer covering upon the backing while it is in a sticky condition. Although the covering is preferably applied to the backing before the latter is molded upon the frame, as previously described, it'is obvious that it may be adhe sively united thereto after the frame is hacked and before the sizing dries out. The application of pressure is desirable in order to unite the backing and its covering and to draw the body taut across the frame and smoothly fold its margins over the frame edges, particularly when two or more backm ing sheets are desirably united in juxtaposition; and the backing may desirably be subjected to heat, applied in any suitable manner during and after the shaping operations, if the sizing is substantially waterproof, or resistant to softening at low temperature, or if quick drying is desired. q

The simple and easily practiced process herein described results in the production of a box section having the rigidity, durability and pleasing appearance of a section made by more complicated hand methods and of more expensive materials. It will be found that the backing becomes appreciably stifferafter the softening and rehardeningof its sizing, especially when a plurality of backing sheets are stretched taut by the operation of shaping dies supplemented in some cases by shrinkage of the moistened fabricupon drying. The article may be constructed in a variety of shapes for particular purposes, and may be covered with any appropriate sheet in aterial which will adhere to the sized backing. The completed box is light in Weight yet strong and wear-resisting in use. The

backing and covering are substantially in-' separable from each other by reason of the penetration of the softened sizing into'the fibers adjacent the backing under the pressure of the forming dies, and the overlapping margins of the stiffened backing effectively secure the body upon the frame with out the necessity of special fastening means.

I claim:

1. A method of making a box section which comprises softening a sized backing sheet, and folding the margins of the sheet. over a frame, so that the backing is aflixed to the frame upon hardening.

2. A method of making a box section which comprises softening a sized backing sheet, folding the margins of the sheet over a frame, and applying an outer covering to the backing while the backing is soft, so that the covering is adhesively united to the backin and,

the backing is affixed to the frame uponliard ening of the sizing.

3. A method of making a box section which comprises softening a substantially flat, sized backing sheet, superposing a covering sheet thereon, and folding the margins of both sheets over aframe before the sizing has hardened, so that the sheets are afiixed to the frame uponhardening of the backing.

4. A method of making a box section which comprises softening a sized fabric sheet,

stretching the sheetv across the bottom of a metal frame, and folding the margins of the sheet over thetop edge of the frame, so that.

the sheet is drawn taut and secured upon the frame upon hardening of its sizing.

5. A'method of making a box section which comprises softening a sized fabric sheet, superposing an unsized covering sheet thereon, and concomitantly stretching the'super-.

posed sheets across the bottom of a metal frame and folding the margins of both sheets over the top edge of the frame before the sizing has hardened, so that the sheets are adhesively united and secured upon the frame when the sized sheet hardens.

6. A method of making a box section which comprises superposing a plurality of sized fabric sheets and an unsized covering sheet, softening the sized sheets, applyinga metal frame edgewise upon the exposed surface of one of the sized sheets, and concomitantly pressingthe sheets together and folding the margins of the several sheets over the sides and outer edge of the frame, so that the sheets are adhesively united and secured to the frame upon hardening of the sized sheets.

7. A box section comprising a frame defining the outline of the section, a sized backing applied across one end of the frame and having its margins folded over the outer sides and opposite edges thereof, and an outer covering superposed upon the sized backing and adhering thereto.

8. A box section comprising a flat metal frame defining the peripheral walls of the sections, a backing sheet of sized fabric applied across an open end of the frame and of unsized material adhesively united inn superposed relation, the body extending 'across one end of the frame and having its margins folded upon the sides of the frame, the margins of the covering and of atleast one of the sized sheets being folded inwardly over the opposite edges of the frame.

10. A container comprising a pair of similar sections, each having a flat metal frame defining its peripheral walls and a body cons sisting of a sized fabric sheet and an outer covering of unsized material adhesively united in superposed relation, thebody ex tending across one end of the frame and having its margins folded over the outer sides and opposite edges thereof, and the frame having struck out tongues through the folded margins, and a hinge connecting the two sections, the hinge having openings receiving the tongues of each section and the tongues being anchored in said openings to secure the hinge to the respective sections.

- Signed by me at Attleboro, Massachusetts,

protruding 

